Stories of the American South

Creina Mansfield

The Southern States of America have been a rich source for literary works, oftendrawing on memories of the Civil War fought—and, crucially, lost there. The conservative culture has produced a strong focus on family, religion &community, but despite these common themes, there is debate about what makes aliterary work “Southern.”

We shall study 3 works:

Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil (1994) by John Berendt

This is not a novel but an account of real-life events in Savannah, Georgia. It is wildly funny, occasionally alarming and completely enthralling.

The March (2005) by E.L.Doctorow. This is an account of General George T. Sherman’s march to the sea in the last year of one of the bloodiest and most divisive wars in history.

Go Set a Watchman (2015) by Harper Lee. Now the little girl in To Kill a Mockingbird is grown up. When she returns to her hometown for a visit, she finds her attitudes to race have changed, bringing her into conflict with her loved ones in Alabama.